PERRYVILLE, Alaska, Oct. 31, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) State Director Julia Hnilcka highlighted a $5 million investment in high-speed internet expansion to Unicom, Inc. through the Community Connect Program to provide high-speed internet in rural Alaska.
USDA recently announced Unicom, Inc. is receiving $5 million to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises system to benefit 85 residents and one business in the Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska service. In past years, Subscribers will have access to service up to 2.5 Gbps download and 100 Mbps upload, expanding access to economic, educational, health care and public safety opportunities. A community center room will be provided in the Native Village of Perryville headquarters as part of the project where residents can access the Internet free of charge for at least two years.
Background: Community Connect Program
The Community Connect Program helps rural communities extend access where high-speed internet service is least likely to be commercially available, but where it can make a tremendous difference in the quality of life for rural people and businesses. The projects funded by these grants help rural residents tap into the enormous potential of the internet for jobs, education, healthcare, public safety and community development. Recipients of Community Connect awards use grant funds to equip community centers that provide free access to high-speed internet service to area residents for at least two years.
USDA-RD provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and healthcare; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas. Visit the Rural Data Gateway to learn how and where these investments are impacting rural America. To subscribe to USDA-RD updates, visit the GovDelivery Subscriber Page.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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